Target: Colonel John Buck
Goal: Praise the Army Corps of Engineers for denying a permit request for a coal transportation terminal.
The Army Corps of Engineers has denied Ambre Energy and Arch Coal’s permit request for the Gateway Pacific Export Terminal in Puget Sound, Washington. The announcement comes after four years of outspoken opposition to the project from environmental activists and local indigenous tribespeople, such as this ForceChange petition.
Colonel John Buck, who delivered the official decision, stated that his agency believed the project would have had a devastating impact on the quality of water in the region. He also acknowledged that this would have directly affected the Lummi people’s treaty-protected fishing rights.
This is a huge victory for both the rights of indigenous people and for environmental activism. The Gateway Pacific Export Terminal was slated to be the biggest facility of its kind in North America. The train and vessel traffic, along with massive levels of coal dust that would have resulted from its operation, posed severe threats to the livelihood of the Lummi people and to the local environment. Of course, such a huge coal export terminal would have also contributed directly to global climate change through both its everyday functioning and its role in spurring increased consumption of dirty coal energy.
There is no reason to keep relying on such environmentally dangerous sources of energy like coal. It is also completely unacceptable to trample over the rights of indigenous people in the name of huge corporate profits. The Army Corps of Engineers’ denial ruling on the Gateway Pacific Export Terminal opens up space for greater awareness of these truths. Sign the petition below to voice your support of Colonel John Buck’s official announcement of disapproval for the Gateway Pacific Export Terminal.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Col. Buck,
Denying Ambre Energy and Arch Coal’s permit for the Gateway Pacific Export Terminal is a choice worthy of praise. You have respected the voices of the Lummi people and numerous environmentalists in your decision, and for that you should be applauded.
The Gateway Pacific Export Terminal posed many risks to the treaty-protected rights of the Lummi people and to the environment at large. Allowing it to be built would have been a huge mistake, entailing awful consequences that could not be reversed. Thankfully, you have done the right thing by blocking the construction of this dangerous coal export facility.
It is important that we protect the world and our people from severe environmental damage, especially with climate change rapidly accelerating. Your decision reflects a genuine understanding of the environment’s importance. It also shows that you have not capitulated in the face of pressure and misinformation from Big Coal. Thank you once again for denying Ambre Energy and Arch Coal’s permit for the Gateway Pacific Export Terminal.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: World Maritime News
tHANK YOU